SABASmSpanish, Late GreekFrom a Greek name that was derived from Hebrew סַבָא (sava') meaning "old man". Saints bearing this name include a 4th-century Gothic martyr, a 5th-century Cappadocian hermit, and a 12th-century archbishop of Serbia who is the patron saint of that country.

SABINAfItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Swedish, Ancient RomanFeminine form of Sabinus, a Roman cognomen meaning "Sabine" in Latin. The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy, their lands eventually taken over by the Romans after several wars. According to legend, the Romans abducted several Sabine women during a raid, and when the men came to rescue them, the women were able to make peace between the two groups. This name was borne by several early saints.

SABRINAfEnglish, Italian, German, FrenchLatinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque 'Comus' (1634). It was popularized as a given name by Samuel A. Taylor's play 'Sabrina Fair' (1953) and the movie adaptation that followed it the next year.

SABUROUmJapaneseFrom Japanese 三 (sabu) meaning "three" and 郎 (rou) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name for the third son. Other kanji combinations are possible as well.

SACAGAWEAfNative AmericanProbably from Hidatsa tsakáka wía meaning "bird woman". Alternatively it could originate from the Shoshone language and mean "boat puller". This name was borne by a Native American woman who guided the explorers Lewis and Clark. She was of Shoshone ancestry but had been abducted in her youth and raised by a Hidatsa tribe.

SAFFRONfEnglish (Rare)From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic زعفران (za'faran), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".

SAGAfNorse Mythology, Swedish, IcelandicPossibly means "seeing one" in Old Norse. This was the name of the Norse goddess of poetry and history, sometimes identified with the goddess Frigg. This is also a modern Swedish word meaning "story, fairy tale".

SAGEf & mEnglish (Modern)From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.

SAKURAfJapaneseFrom Japanese 桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom", though it is often written using the hiragana writing system. It can also come from 咲 (saku) meaning "blossom" and 良 (ra) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" as well as other kanji combinations.

SALAH AL-DINmArabicMeans "righteousness of religion" from Arabic صلاح (salah) meaning "righteousness" combined with دين (din) meaning "religion, faith". A famous bearer of this name was the sultan Salah al-Din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub, known in the western world as Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt in the 12th century. He recaptured Jerusalem from the crusaders and repelled the invaders of the Third Crusade. Salah al-Din was an honourific; his birth name was Yusuf.

SALOMEfEnglish, German, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.... [more]

SAM (3)mLiteratureThe name of a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954). His full given name was Samwise meaning "half wise" in Old English (the language used by Tolkien to represent the old hobbit speech).

SAMANTHAfEnglish, Italian, DutchPerhaps intended to be a feminine form of SAMUEL, using the name suffix antha (possibly inspired by Greek ανθος (anthos) "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show 'Bewitched'.

SAMARfArabicMeans "evening conversation" in Arabic, from the root سَمَرَ (samara) meaning "to talk in the evening".

SAMARAfEnglish (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel 'Appointment in Samarra' (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.... [more]

SAMOmSlovene, Medieval SlavicMeaning uncertain. This was the name of a 7th-century ruler of the Slavs, who established a kingdom including parts of modern Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. He was possibly of Frankish origin.

SAMSONmBiblical, English, French, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon), derived from שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) meaning "sun". Samson was an Old Testament hero granted exceptional strength by God. His mistress Delilah betrayed him and cut his hair, stripping him of his power. Thus he was captured by the Philistines, blinded, and brought to their temple. However, in a final act of strength, he pulled down the pillars of the temple upon himself and his captors.... [more]

SANCHOmSpanish, PortuguesePossibly a Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name Sanctius, which was derived from the word sanctus meaning "saintly, holy". Alternatively, Sancho and Sanctius may be derived from an older Iberian name. This was the name of a 9th-century saint who was martyred by the Moors at Cordoba. It was also borne by several Spanish and Portuguese kings. Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel 'Don Quixote' (1605), where it belongs to the squire of Don Quixote.

SANDALIOmSpanishSpanish form of Sandalius, a Latinized form of the Gothic name Sandulf meaning "true wolf", derived from sand "true" and ulf "wolf". This was the name of a 9th-century Spanish saint martyred by the Moors.

SANTIAGOmSpanish, PortugueseMeans "Saint James", derived from Spanish santo "saint" combined with Yago, an old Spanish form of JAMES, the patron saint of Spain. This is the name of the capital city of Chile, as well as several other cities in the Spanish-speaking world.

SAPPHIRAfBiblicalFrom the Greek name Σαπφειρη (Sappheire), which was from Greek σαπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning "sapphire" or "lapis lazuli" (ultimately derived from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir)). Sapphira is a character in Acts in the New Testament who is killed by God for lying.

SARAHfEnglish, French, German, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans "lady, princess, noblewoman" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became the pregnant with Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see Genesis 17:15).... [more]

SARGONmAkkadian (Anglicized), Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew form סַרְגּוֹן (Sargon) of the Akkadian name Sharru-ukin, from šarru meaning "king" and kīnu meaning "legitimate, true". This was the name of the first king of the Akkadian Empire, beginning in the 24th century BC. It was also borne by the 8th-century BC Assyrian king Sargon II, who appears briefly in the Old Testament. The usual English spelling of the name is based on this biblical mention, applied retroactively to the earlier king.

ŠÁRKAfCzechMeaning unknown. In Czech legend Šárka was a maiden who joined other women in declaring war upon men. She tricked the men by having herself tied to a tree, and, after they came to her rescue, offering them mead laced with a sleeping potion. After the men fell asleep the other women slew them.